Romania ups gas imports by over 720%

Romania’s natural gas imports reached 620,900 tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) in the first ten months of this year, up 720.2% compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). Romania's gas imports from Russia began to increase in September, reaching 30% of consumption, and may further increase to 40% of consumption during the winter period. Niculae Havrilet, president of the National Regulatory Authority for Energy (ANRE), explained in November that the imported gas can be bought with RON 68-70 (EUR 15-15.5) per Mwh whereas the regulated price for gas extracted in Romania is blocked at RON 72 (EUR 16) per Mwh. The price on the domestic market has remained at this level due to a tax of 60% on the additional revenues resulting from the deregulation of the gas market. Imported gas is thus cheaper than gas produced in Romania. The domestic gas production went down by 13.9% in the first nine months, to 6.12 million toe. editor@romania-insider.com